No Need To Talk by Teddy Hansen

Why having an elephant in the room is a good thing:

Not only can they water your plants, but they can also put out fires and shower you.

The painting shows a large African Savanna elephant, which is the largest elephant species in the world. They often appear red because they coat their skin with the iron-rich, red soil found in their environment.

The elephant’s legs are houses with roofs on top of them, because if an elephant were in the room, it would likely occupy the entire space and thus become part of the house itself. The hat on the elephant’s head is also made in a similar texture as a roof, showing that the elephant is the house.

In the house on the left side, you can see a fire in the window and plants at the bottom, both being watered from inside the right “leg house” by an elephant. This elephant is in a cube (i.e., a room) holding up a flower, which it has helped grow.

On the elephant’s back, people are enjoying a hose down from the elephant in their room, filling up their glasses with its water.

Mixed media on canvas.

105H x 105W cm

2025